Not Applicable
The present invention concerns an ampoule for dispensing a substance or a mixture consisting of a plurality of substances. In the field of medicine and cosmetics, as well as, in other fields, it is often necessary to separately store the individual components of a multicomponent-product. Furthermore, it is often necessary that the individual components are mixed with one another only just before the application. Moreover, it is often necessary or at least desirable to store the individual components as fluid-tight or liquid-tight as possible. This also holds true in case of systems for dispensing only a single substance.
French Patent Application No. FR 2 070 358 A shows an injection syringe for a single use. The syringe has a cylindrical body filled with a substance to be injected. The rear end of the body filled with the substance is closed by means of a piston which is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the syringe body. The discharge opening at the front end of the syringe body is shut off by means of a plug which is displaceable within the discharge opening. In a first embodiment of the prior art injection syringe, the plug is a relatively short solid body. For activating the syringe the plug is pushed completely out of the discharge opening into the syringe body by means of an injection needle being displaceably mounted to the syringe body. In an alternative solution, the plug is pushed completely out of the discharge opening into a pre-chamber joining the syringe body by applying pressure by means of the piston. The injection needle is fixedly connected to this pre-chamber. It is disadvantageous that the plug, after having been injected from the discharge opening, freely swims within the syringe body or within the pre-chamber and, hence, can impede the discharge of the substance to be injected.
In a further embodiment of the prior art injection syringe, the plug is fixedly connected to the injection needle and the unity of the plug and injection needle is guided within a pre-chamber adjacent to the syringe body. It is disadvantageous that the plug and the injection needle form a one-piece member which, already when producing the injection syringe, has to be mounted to the syringe body. Furthermore, it can be disadvantageous during transport or storage of the prior art injection syringe that the plug as well as the injection needle fixedly connected to the plug protrude beyond the syringe body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,336 A discloses an injection syringe which is manipulated by means of spring action. The syringe comprises a syringe body having a plurality of cylindrical chambers being arranged in parallel to one another. Each chamber is filled with a respective substance. The filled chambers are each closed by a piston of a common piston unit at their rear ends. The discharge openings provided at the front end of the syringe body are covered in a fluid-tight manner with a common membrane. Upon application of the syringe the pistons of the piston unit are pushed forward into the chambers when releasing a compressed spring. Thereby, the membrane at the discharge openings of the chambers ruptures and the substances contained in the chambers reach a mixing chamber via the discharge openings freed from the membrane. The substances are then expelled via an injection needle being fixedly connected to the mixing chamber. This prior art syringe has a complicated construction and production thereof is sophisticated.
It is an object of the invention to provide an ampoule for dispensing a substance or mixture of a plurality of substances being designed in a simple manner and which can be easily handled. Furthermore, the ampoule should offer the possibility to store one or a plurality of substances to be dispensed separately from one another. The ampoule according to the invention is particularly designed for a single use.
According to a first aspect of the invention an ampoule for dispensing a substance comprises: a container having a chamber therein for storing a substance to be dispensed; a piston arranged in the chamber so as to be displaceably in the longitudinal direction of the chamber; an outlet means which can be connected to the container such that a fluid communication is established between an inlet portion of a discharge passage of the outlet means and an outlet opening of the chamber; and a plug closure means being insertable in a fluid-tight manner into the outlet opening of the chamber and, when it has been fluid-tightly inserted into the outlet opening, being displaceable by the outlet means connected to the container in direction towards the interior of the chamber from a closed position into an open position in which a fluid communication is provided between the interior of the chamber and the inlet portion of the discharge passage of the outlet means via the outlet opening of the chamber, the plug closure means having retaining means retaining the plug closure means in the open position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a multichamber-ampoule for dispensing a mixture consisting of a plurality of substances and comprising: a container having at least two chambers therein being arranged in parallel to each other for storing the substances and having adjacent outlet openings; a piston provided in each chamber so as to be displaceable in longitudinal direction of the chamber; an outlet means which can be connected to the container such that a fluid communication is established between the outlet openings of the chambers and an inlet portion of a discharge passage of the outlet means; and a plurality of plug closure means corresponding to the plurality of outlet openings of the chambers, each plug closure means being insertable in a fluid-tight manner into its associated outlet opening and, when the plug closure means have been fluid-tightly inserted into the outlet openings, they are displaceable by the outlet means connected to the container in direction towards the interior of their associated chambers from a closed position into an open position in which a fluid communication is provided between the interior of the chambers and the inlet portion of the discharge passage of the outlet means via the outlet opening of the chamber, the plug closure means having retaining means retaining the plug closure means in the open position.
The retaining means guarantee that the plug closure means do not fall into the substance containing chambers when the ampoule has been activated. They can be provided as radially extending means which, for example, protrude beyond the outlet opening of a chamber.
The ampoule according to the invention offers the advantage that merely a minimum of component parts are necessary for implementing the ampoule. Furthermore, these components parts are easily produceable and the component parts can be assembled in an easy manner. Nevertheless, the ampoule can be readily handled and offers a reliable application. For activating the ampoule, it is merely necessary to displace the outlet means in the direction of the substance container until these two components of the ampoule engage one another where upon the or each one of the outlet openings of the single chamber or the plurality of chambers are cleared and the plug closure is retained between the outlet means and the substance container in this open position.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the invention comprises a unit merely consisting of the container, the piston and a plug closure means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the invention is directed to the plug closure means as such.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will herein after be described by referring to preferred embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings.